Car radios are widely known in which an operator unit having operating elements essential for controlling the car radio, such as station keys, is removable from the front of the car radio. The removable operator unit may be quickly and easily inserted and removed and theft of the car radio, which is inoperable without the operator unit, may be prevented in this way.
Moreover, remote controls for controlling diverse functions which are separate from the multimedia terminal are widely known. The remote controls for controlling car radios may be installed in a vehicle's steering wheel, or on a separate swan neck, or they may be installed in the center console area or stored there. Due to the different installation situations and space conditions of different vehicle types, there is disadvantageously no universally usable mounting location for retrofittable remote controls.
In addition, space-using devices, such as a release panel, a release button, and a release mechanism, are required in the car radio for anti-theft protection.
Furthermore, there is the problem in conventional multimedia terminals that the size of the available display unit is extremely limited due to the number of operating elements of the operator unit necessary for operation. This results in the fact that the display unit is generally relatively small and thus poorly readable and only able to display a small number of pieces of information. Different user groups have different requirements regarding the operation, the size, and the content of the display unit. The unpracticed user needs only the information necessary for operation, whereas an advanced and technologically adept user is capable of commanding substantially more complex operating situations, following menu structures of an operator interface in particular. A larger display unit is necessary to display more extensive information, such as a menu structure.